one point i make is grant was the only president between lincoln and johnson who took civil rights for african-americans at all seriously, and after grant left office, the african-american -- the former slaves were simply left to the tender mercies of the white majorities of the south, and quickly, they were shoved to the side of politics. >> okay. don't ask a question if you don't want bill to answer it thoroughly. [laughter] >> i accept yes, no, and multiple choice questions. [laughter] >> we have just three minutes left, and it's a serious deadline. you have to ask a brief question and see what answer we can get out of bill. >> i hope so. you said once youmented to write american history through biography. when i read the binge min frankly biographers, he was the prototypical american, modern in some sense. who -- having once been to england, i saw different people, even though they speak english. who was the first american in the sense that he has or she has attitudes like we do on any plans of writing a biography like that, between 1620 over 1770. >> who is the first american -- >